Fashions of the Roman World

In general, fashions from the Ancient Greek and Roman periods and before were simple, as clothing expressed practical function over stylistic form. Generally, women's garments were loose and flowing, never tight-fitting. Tunics often covered the wearer with layers of draped fabric, and were worn by both men and women.

The most basic garment for women of Ancient Greece was the Doric peplos, commonly worn through the beginning of the sixth century B.C. Made from a rectangle of woven wool, the Doric peplos measured about six feet in width and about eighteen inches more than the height of the wearer from shoulder to ankle. The fabric was wrapped around the wearer, with the excess material folded over the top and pinned on both shoulders. The extra fabric was allowed to fall freely, giving the impression of a short cape. Pins used for fastening the shoulders of the peplos were originally open pins with decorated heads, but they were later replaced by fibulae or brooches.

The toga was the characteristic garment of the Rom...

Clothing and Textiles

Men Shopping for Clothing Accessories

Fabrics were plain and for the most part, undecorated. This was the general rule in the Western world. In particular, during the archaic period, clothing was generally white or off-white, and commoners were forbidden to wear red in theaters or public places. By the fifth century, however, clothing began to feature a wider range of colors.

Today's woman does not have a specific style of clothing that she is expected to wear, nor are there only certain colors that she can wear in everyday clothing. As for those that work in business, there are dress-codes that require a professional attire to be worn to the office. Women in corporate America are not expected to come into work wearing mini-skirts and no stockings. There is a standard that businesses expect from their employees. Most of our clothing designs...

More Roman History essays:

... Augustus Caesar. The Roman Empire split into two parts, East and West. The West fell in 476. The East, which came to be known as the Byzantium Empire, continued for several hundred years. Most of the population of the Roman Empire lived within easy reach ...

... Roman Empire . However, their worldview became embodied in a pagan cult that was nothing less than patriotic worship of Rome. If anything sustained the Empire, it was the concept of the "Genius of the Roman People." The Romans were taught to believe that the destiny of Rome ...

... day. It was not long however, that the security of the Roman state was ripped apart by the tragic civil wars that were to follow Rome until it had become an empire, starting with the terrible fighting between Marius and Sulla. (Kent School ...

... Rome , because salt is so important in the ancient world. As Romans expanded their empire they encountered many different environments. The Roman army had to learn different ways of fighting ways of conquering different areas. During the period of the Roman Empire ...

... between Carthage and Rome...were always triggered off by Rome" (25). A primary reason why Carthage and Rome clashed was the cultural difference of/in their civilizations. The Romans were creators; the Carthaginians, traders. Both civilizations seem to have borrowed from the Greek with respect ...

9 pages75Apr/20033.0

Students & Profs. say about us:

"Good news: you can turn to other's writing help. WriteWork has over 100,000 sample papers"